Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 1 2018 i PRIVATE GAME | WILDLIFE RANCHING

2018 het op ’n baie hoë noot vol verwagtinge afgeskop, veral op politieke gebied. Met die verkiesing van Cyril Ramaphosa as die nuwe President van Suid-Afrika het nie alleen die waarde van die Rand onmiddellik gestyg nie; die petrol-en dieselprys het ook terselfdertyd gedaal en verbruikersvertroue het opgeskiet na klaarblyklik die hoogste in twee en ’n half jaar. Dít het almal in Suid-Afrika weer nuwe hoop gegee dat die land nie ’n piesangrepubliek sal word nie en dat nie net wildpryse sal styg nie, maar dat alle besighede in Suid-Afrika sal deel word van ’n bloeitydperk wat vir ons voorlê. Dit is nou maar eenmaal so dat as die ekonomie swak vaar, dit die meeste bedrywe beïnvloed. Sodra besighede beter vaar, is daar weer ekstra geld wat spandeer móét word…

Transformation of South Africa’s wildlife sector is essential to grow and nurture our biodiversity, and promote economic progress, as well as peace and harmony. WRSA believes that game ranching can act as a catalyst to ensure that these important objectives are met. Transformation is therefore one of our strategic focus areas. We regard transformation as a journey and are by no means complacent about the significant challenges that lie ahead, especially regarding the burning issue of land restitution. We firmly believe that all sectors of society must work towards ensuring that land restitution is not only successful, but that it is also sustainable and contributes meaningfully to our country’s biodiversity, economic growth, and job and food security. We need to do whatever we can to ensure an inclusive, sustainable and…

Die 2018 jaarlikse WRSAkonferensie beloof om weer ’n reuse-sukses te wees. Dit is vir ons belangrik om die konferensie so interaktief moontlik te maak sodat ons lede die maksimum baat daarby kan vind, ongeag hul spesifieke areas van belangstelling. Vroue in die wildbedryf, hetsy self wildboere of hul wildboermans se steunpilare, is ’n aspek wat WRSA baie na aan die hart lê en ons gaan vanjaar voortbou op ’n konsep waarmee ons verlede jaar begin het om netwerkgeleenthede en interaksie tussen ons vroue te bewerkstellig en bevorder. Die 2018-konferensie vind op 23 en 24 Maart plaas en sal weer, soos verlede jaar, by The Ranch Protea Hotel suid van Polokwane aangebied word. Besprekings kan deur die WRSA-kantoor (012 335 6994, admin@wrsa.co.za) gedoen word. Uitstekende borgskapgeleenthede is ook beskikbaar wat sal…

South African statutory law does not define a ‘farm attack’ as a specific crime. Rather, the term is used to refer to a number of different crimes committed against persons specifically on commercial farms or smallholdings. This definition excludes ‘social fabric crimes’ – those crimes committed by members of the farming community against one another, such as domestic or workplace violence, and focuses on outsiders entering the farms to commit specific criminal acts. “The protection gap has been filled by ‘farm watch groups’ that link together by radio, ‘cell phone groups’ with nearby farmers who can provide mutual assistance, local volunteers and private security companies.” While the police are supposed to regularly visit commercial farms to ensure security, they claim they cannot provide effective protection due to the wide areas…

THEILERIOSIS ATheileria sp., a genus of blood-borne parasites, occurs in South African sable, where it was identified in 1974. It causes the tick-borne disease theileriosis, which is similar to tick-bite fever in dogs or in humans. Roan and sable share some susceptibilities to disease. Sable are highly susceptible to wireworm, particularly in small camps, whereas roan are more resistant. On the other hand, roan are most susceptible to contracting theileriosis, which is the biggest threat in terms of getting calves to weaning age. An infected tick bites the calf, which is susceptible from the first week of birth, but if it survives it will be immune to the disease. “Following research to better understand the disease we can nowadays keep ticks and their infectivity under control.” The disease most often…

“Not less from its singular beauty, than from its extreme rarity, there were few game animals in the whole African catalogue that I more eagerly sought for than the roan antelope – my hankerings after its gay spoils being moreover greatly increased by the difficulties that I at first experienced in obtaining possession of them,” wrote Captain W. Cornwallis Harris in his 1840 hunting primer Portraits of the Game and Wild Animals of Southern Africa. “Equal in stature to the largest Arab horse, the whole structure – remarkably powerful and muscular – is especially adapted for traversing the rugged regions that it frequents.” Although Harris and his fellow hunters had one ambition – to hunt as many animals as they possibly could in the region – there is little doubt…

As every game rancher knows, there’s little more compelling to the market than the horn size of an animal (hence the phenomenon of selection for horn length). Measuring horn length is fraught with difficulties, however – nobody likes to dart an animal unless it is absolutely necessary, due to cost, risk and general stress, and there is always the potential for human error when it comes to measuring large and perhaps not completely sedated game. The average value of animals has decreased while competition has increased; it is therefore very important to manage horn growth as closely and scientifically as possible, whilst reducing the cost per animal. The concept of photo measurement has been around for some time, but accuracy has always been in question. However, this is changing, according…

Wildlife Ranching sat down with Dr Peter Oberem, president of Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA), founder of Afrivet and co-owner of the Dabchick Wildlife Reserve in Limpopo. WR Where did your passion for the wildlife ranching industry begin? Peter Oberem: My wife Pamela and I are both vets and we share a love of nature, the environment, conservation…maybe biology is the correct word for what really excites us. In 1994, we found a property in the Waterberg and wanted to buy it. The property had a small, dilapidated house with a thatched roof and when we scraped the front door open a barn owl flew out. My wife decided then and there that she wanted the property – but we had no idea whether or not the soon-to-be-elected ANC would…

Die legendaries swartwitpensbul ‘Piet’, wildteler Piet Warren van Gravelotte in Limpopo, se bekende stoetbul, het op 2 Februarie op 16-jarige ouderdom gevrek. Volgens Piet, Suid-Afrika se voorste swartwitpensteler, het sy naamgenoot op sy oudag met rumatiek gesukkel en die laaste ruk moeilik geloop. In die week voor sy dood kon hy nie meer opstaan nie. Die dag van sy dood het ’n wildveearts hom ingespuit vir die pyn en dit het gelyk of dit gehelp het. Maar Piet het daardie nag gevrek en is die volgende oggend by die voerbak in sy teelkamp dood aangetref. Piet het dié spogbul met sy 53,5"-horings in 2002 vir R170 000 gekoop. Hy was toe een jaar oud. Vandag kan sy seuns en dogters op verskeie wildplase regoor Suid-Afrika aangetref word. Mopanie, een van…

The locals call this little farm ‘Nyala Farm’ as it is known for its nyalas. Bayala Nyala Breeders is a quaint game farm in the heart of Zululand, situated between the towns of Mkuze and Hluhluwe and surrounded by the world-renowned Manyoni Game Reserve and the Mun-Ye-Wana Game Reserve, better known as Phinda, as well as neighbouring agricultural community-owned land. Bayala Nyala is owned by Murray Collins, Anthony Bennett, Dave Bell and Russell Collins. The vision of Bayala Nyala Breeders is to rejuvenate Zululand as the home of the nyala and to make use of the naturally occurring superior genetics of the Zululand nyala. “Every animal arriving on the farm had to be tagged and microchipped, and DNA had to be taken. This ensures efficiency and collecting accurate information about…

The life cycle of the malaria parasite, which is transmitted by the bite of an infested female Anopheles (vectors) to infect people, is driven primarily by weather, climate and environmental conditions. Globally, it is estimated that about 3.3 billion people in 97 countries and territories are at risk of being infected with malaria, out of which 1.2 billion are at high risk of being infested with malaria in a year. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the malaria burden is heaviest in the sub-Saharan African region, where an estimated 90% of all malaria deaths occur, and in children aged under five years of age, who account for 78% of all deaths. It is estimated that malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. This is largely due to deteriorating…

HISTORY FACTS Wild Africa was ‘tamed’ by European settlement and later degraded and almost destroyed by the human population explosion, poverty, exploitation, politics and greed. The socio-economic balance has tilted a few times; the arrival of the British settlers in the Eastern Cape 1820, and the consequential mass export of wildife hides to Europe, was one such tilt. Vlekpoort near Hofmeyr was named after the thousands of hides being draped over rocks as far as the eye could see, drying for export from East London harbour. Jan van Riebeeck landed in the Cape in 1652 and found large and small game most abundant from the coast and throughout the interior. Trigger-happy hunting parties of early settlers and European royalties eradicated most of the game in the southern Cape. In 1820…

 Author: Cyril Ramaphosa with photographs by Daniel Naudé “Ramaphosa hopes that Ankole cattle will become more common in rural South Africa as a tribute to African culture.” Published by: Jacana First published: October 2017 ISBN: 978-1-4314-2581-5 Recommended retail price: R850 CATTLE OF THE AGES It’s not often we get to review a book by a game rancher and WRSA member, and even less often by the President of the country! President Cyril Ramaphosa’s book about the establishment of his herd of Ankole cattle is timeous. The book, which celebrates the Ankole cattle breed, also reflects Ramaphosa’s love for African culture and history – a fitting characteristic of a President. The Ankole cattle, magnificent appearance aside, have a unique and ancient history. This is a long-horned, humpless Bos taurus breed, which…

A business dictionary describes transformation as a process of profound and radical change that orients an organisation in a new direction and takes it to an entirely different level of effectiveness. Unlike 'turnaround' (which implies incremental progress on the same plane), transformation implies a basic change of character and little or no resemblance with the past configuration or structure. For the wildlife ranching sector, this is of particular importance as we continuously have to reinvent our strategic positioning, negotiate legislation and regulations, adjust to the global economic environment, consider socio-economic realities and adopt cutting-edge technology to set a new direction that will secure global differentiation and an increased demand for long-term sustainability. Radical economic transformation requires radical economic growth, which is dependent on political, socio-economic and technological transformation. Cyril Ramaphosa…

“Transformation could manifest as either a threat or an opportunity for wildlife ranching: which is more likely, and how can industry players steer it towards the latter?” As we enter this new year, transformation must be on the minds of many wildlife ranchers in the southern African region. Recent political changes in Zimbabwe and South Africa raise questions about future directions: will we see more of the same, or will new leaders introduce new policies? Encouragingly, the newly elected President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, is a wildlife rancher and understands the significance of the industry. However, southern African governments remain under great pressure to redress persistent socio-economic imbalances in the region, and the ANC’s 54th National Conference in December ended with talk of a significant policy change in South…

In any industry, it is essential that your product is differentiated from that of the competition, and one way of achieving this is by adding value for the prospective client. For the game farmer, the notion of added value has for some time been focused on good genetics. To achieve this, however, requires substantial investment and is likely to be developed over several years. This is particularly relevant for the entry-level farmer, where it might require some time before this added value flows through to the bottom line. Although the above is a solid and proven longer-term strategy, there are some simple steps the game farmer can take to achieve some value-added benefits in the shorter term. This article will touch on one such approach. Looking at historic live game…

“Farming successfully with livestock or game involves balancing what the animals need.” Farming successfully with livestock or game involves balancing what the animals need in terms of nutrients with what nature has to offer over a fixed period of time. Game reserves and some game farms use the services of ecologists to periodically assess stocking densities using the grazing and browsing capacity of the property. This data is used to calculate how many of which particular wild herbivore can be kept on the property for the next year without having a negative effect on animal and plant production. Wild herbivore refers to ungulate game kept on game farms and reserves, it does not refer to our smaller species of animal that eat plant material as a part of or as…

WR What exactly are distribution maps? Magdel: The distribution maps were developed with the purpose of demarcating the natural distribution ranges of various indigenous large mammal species in South Africa. The natural distribution ranges of these species refer to the areas in which they occur naturally, or have occurred naturally in the past, without having been introduced into those areas as a result of human intervention. The natural distribution ranges also include the extended ranges into which species have dispersed naturally without human intervention, e.g. in response over time to climate change. The development of the distribution maps involved a comprehensive survey of records that included, among others, written published and unpublished historical records, confirmed archaeological records of 500 years or less (bp), and some records of current distribution where…

“Onderstepoort held an animal DNA forensics workshop in 2007 and the question arose: might it be possible to create a DNA profile for rhino horn?” Dr Cindy Harper, the Director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL) at Onderstepoort, had little idea that a project she undertook out of curiosity in 2006 would become a globally recognised initiative that plays a vital role in securing convictions in rhino-poaching cases. Today, the Rhino DNA Index System or RhODIS® is a name on everyone’s lips – but back in the 1980s, DNA was far from being in vogue (blood typing and isotopes were still used to identify animals). “It was only in 1998 that the International Stud Book Committee (ISBC) that manages Thoroughbred racehorse breeding told their authorised laboratories that they were doing…

“A strategic decision was taken to revamp Kilima to ‘future-proof’ this exquisite destination.” Kilima Private Game Reserve & Spa (‘Kilima’) is one of the many jewels in the crown of Frans Schütte’s legacy. Situated close to Hoedspruit in the Limpopo Province, at the foot of the Murchison mountain range – mere kilometres from the legendary Kruger National Park – it is surrounded by the majestic Murchison mountains. It boasts an abundance of wildlife, mountain forests and savannah grasslands, making it undoubtedly the perfect getaway for anyone wanting to experience the African bush at its very best. In 2017, a strategic decision was taken to revamp Kilima to ‘future-proof’ this exquisite destination. Built in 2006 by Frans (with the usual ferocity he builds with – sturdy, rock-solid and persevering against all…

The marula, or Sclerocarya birrea, sub-species caffra is an ancient African tree that grows prolifically in a belt that stretches from Northern KwaZulu-Natal across the Lowveld into Namibia and all the way north to Zambia. Just once a year, in February and March, these indigenous trees bear delicious fruit. The elephants are drawn by the mysterious scent and travel far for a taste. This is when it is time to hand-harvest the ripe, yellow fruit from which juice is collected for processing. The fruit is rich in vitamins such as potassium, magnesium and calcium and packed with vitamin C. Most of the fruit is gathered and supplied by local inhabitants of these areas. The kernel is removed, and the flesh crushed from the skin. The marula flesh is then fermented…

Makes 6 portions (served in 250ml glasses) Ingredients 125ml Amarula 125ml castor sugar 250g milk chocolate 200g dark chocolate 300ml cream 1½ leaves gelatine 6 fresh strawberries extra cream for whipping 6 fresh mint leaves Method 1. Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. 2. Squeeze out excess water and set aside in a bowl. 3. Add the Amarula and castor sugar in a bowl and melt over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved. 4. Add the pre-soaked gelatine and mix well. 5. Add the chocolate, broken into blocks, and stir the mixture until combined and smooth. 6. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 7. Whip the cream to a soft peak and fold it into the chocolate mixture. 8. Pour into glasses and allow…